PT Cruiser Hemi Upgrade - Hemi- Cruiser

Nick Gavriles operates Automotive Innovations in Wixom, Michigan. With a background in working on the Firehawk Series that Paul Rossi successfully raced in the early '90s as well as Mustang projects for Jack Roush, he has recently set out on his own, focusing on PT Cruiser upgrades and accessories. Since Nick is also building cars for the show circuit, a customer named Allen Langford ordered the ultimate PT, one with a crate motor Hemi under the bonnet. Nick decided that not only would he build such a beast, but he would also experiment with some prototyping to see if he could actually custom-build "Hemi-Cruisers" on a limited-production scale. In fact, he had no less than three examples in progress when we traveled to Michigan to get a firsthand look at them, including one which was slated to receive a Viper V10.

2/11

Obviously, this isn't your average backyard engine swap. Nick and artisan Chuck Hardey were in the process of welding up a solid rectangular tube frame for the car, one that could withstand the immense amount of power generated by Hemi motivation. A complete Viper independent rear suspension was being retrofitted to the back end of the modified PT, which is actually a customized panel van that first appeared at last year's SEMA show. The wide engine has been installed in a custom cradle that occupies the space that once held the factory four. Amazingly, neither the front end was lengthened nor the front seats moved back to any great degree, though the firewall has been relocated. Mopar Muscle Publisher Jerry Pitt saw the car while in Detroit for the Hot Rod Power Tour, and we made plans to see the car as soon as it could be photographed.

3/11

While Chrysler's new PT Cruiser has proven to be quite popular to the buying public, most owners and people in the know will tell you that the little retro-sedan is somewhat underpowered when occupied by more than two adults. Built on the Neon platform, the PT Cruiser is presently built with only a four-cylinder for power, though supercharging is rumored as a future addition to the powertrain. In the meantime, leave it to the hot-rod crowd to decide that there may indeed be a better way to cruise the miles away.

Not completely finished yet, Nick showed us some of the high points of what has been accomplished so far to build the Hemi-Cruiser. Once running, we hope to take it for a spin down Woodward Avenue and see how the locals react. Once thing is certain, the Hemi-Cruiser won't have any problems with a full payload. Maybe Fort Knox could use one to haul around gold bars!